THE DURGAS - OFF THE RAIL
DOCUMENTARY IN POST PRODUCTION

Synopsis:
The two brothers, Benjii and Christopher Simmersbach, who front the band The Durgas , based in Los Angeles, have been touring the world as musicians for over two decades. What makes their tours different than other touring US Rock bands, is that they choose to travel off the beaten track to locations that do not fall on a typical tour band's itinerary -- such as playing in Kosovo during their civil war, refugee camps along theThai-Burmese border, a tree house community in a deep Hungarian forest far from "civilization", an Hawai'ian "immersion" Charter school located teaching Hawai'ian and its almost forgotten lore to the kids, at a Chiapas and Zapatistas awareness concerts in Northern Mexico, playing to communities hit by the devastating Tsunami in Sri Lanka, performing at illegal construction sites in Mumbai, India, doing workshops at orphanages in Southern Germany…etc The brother's believe that music has no borders and should be available for everyone.

This time, they decide to follow a car Rally -- The Caucasian Challenge -- from Budapest to Armenia, taking them through Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and setting up spontaneous shows along the way. The film documents this adventure, the difficulties they experience given the little or no time the band have to set up shows each day, bracing many obstacles like no electricity, long distances, terrible road conditions, illegal border crossings, extreme weather conditions, driving through war zones, breaking through language and culture barriers, little sleep, almost no budget for food and accommodation …etc . It also depicts the relationships between the band members, especially given that the brother's mother, Maomi, and one of the brother's son, Cheyenne accompanies them on their tour.

 

 

THE DURGAS - SEND THE WIND (LENE YO SONG)

A song for the Burmese Revolution!
The Durgas was in Thailand from June 15th to June 25th 2009, this time to focus on the migrant community in Mae Sot. With live concerts and a spirit of exchange, The Durgas hoped to inspire the next generation, while promoting the opportunity for a structured education of all migrant children in Mae Sot.
KraatsFilm contributed to the project by taking on the editing pro bono.

Music in Action Foundation